The present invention relates to a continuously moving cable traction haulage system with vehicles equipped with desengageable coupling clamps in accordance with the charcterizing part of claim 1.
In known systems of this type the transportation vehicles are connectable to a continuously moving haulage cable so that they can be moved for example along rails. In the stations of course the vehicles must be disengaged from the cable to allow alighting and boarding of the persons to be transported. In addition, to stop the disengaged vehicle in the stations there must be provided appropriate braking means and to bring the vehicles to the speed of the haulage cable they must be accelerated by acceleration means to again couple the vehicles to the cable moving at constant speed.
To couple the clamps, which are integral with the transportation vehicles, rails designed to act on operating levers of a jaw loaded elastically by a spring are provided at the station entrance just as at the outlet of the station there must be provided a rail designed to close the movable clamp by means of a lever whose end engages for example by means of a wheel on the active surface of the coupling rail. The coupling rail must of course display a rise to be able to cause the movable jaw to clamp around a dead axle while clasping the cable and the rise, i.e the fullest opening of the clamp must be located along the cable at a point where the vehicles have reached a speed equal to that of the continuously moving cable.
In known systems the haulage cable is guided around freely turning rollers fixed along the system path which thus hold the cable in a certain position especially to allow guidance without bumps along the rails. The problem of varying weight of the vehicles in the stations now appears due to different numbers of passengers because the vehicle lowers as a function of this varying weight. With this variable position of the vehicle the position of the coupling clamp integral with the transportation vehicle obviously varies also and hence the position of the clamp in relation to the cable to which it is to be coupled varies. As mentioned above, accurate coupling position between the cable and the clamp jaw is therefore not assured.
A problem of this kind can however appear even when because of different loads acting on the cable the latter could be subject to vibrations and hence undulations with chatter especially between the guide rollers in the station in the zone where the clamp and cable should couple. This cable chatter too prejudices coupling which is safe or at least without forcing of the clamp on the cable.
The general purpose of the present invention is to remedy the problem of phase displacement of the clamp position in relation to the cable due to displacement of the vehicle or even phase displacements of the cable in relation to the clamp due to cable chatter between two guide rollers supported fixedly and to propose a cable traction haulage system which would at all times ensure the highest accuracy in positioning the transportation vehicle clamp for perfect cable coupling regardless of variations in the mutually relative positions of the transportation vehicle and the traction cable.
Another purpose is to propose a system in which it would be possible to effectively control the limit positions of the transportation vehicle in relation to the coupling rails, of the haulage cable in relation to the clamp, and of the haulage cable in relation to the fixed structure.
These and other purposes are achieved by a cable traction haulage system with the features indicated in the characterizing part of claim 1.
By providing an elastically supported coupling rail it is possible to allow for the relative displacements of the vehicle in relation to the rails along which the transportation vehicles run and by associating with the coupling rail a sprung roller bearing the traction cable, vibrations or chatter of the traction cable are absorbed.
Preferably the coupling rail is equipped respectively with a first support before the rise, i.e. maximum opening of the clamp, and a support after the maximum rise, coupling rail with each support consisting of a support to which is articulated one end of a rocker arm whose other end is articulated with the rail and is engaged with one end of a compression spring acting elastically with the other end on the rail.
Appropriately the rail has an end of travel sensor designed to operate when the moving spring jaw operating lever wheel goes beyond a predetermined limit position.
Other characteristics and details are explained in the following description of a preferred embodiment shown in the FIGS of the annexed drawing showing the following.